You Belong with Me
by Sephy-Stabbity
Summary: Sei and Youko, told in phone conversations and face-to-face meeting. Originally supposed to be ten chapters, shortened and condensed into one chapter. Oneshot.


Ugh stupid ffnet keeps removing my line breaks, every time i add them. I hope it works this time.

This was originally supposed to be around ten short chapters, but then I decided to put it all together in one long chapter. Because of that, there is a shift in POV. Most of the story is in third person POV, but in the middle part Sei and Youko each get a small first person POV for themselves. This fanfic is not really meant to be angsty, there's quite a bit of humor spread out here and there. But I wanted it to reflect Youko and Sei, and there's quite a bit of tragedy there, so the story's just a teensy weensy bit darker than I tend to write, I suppose.

Anyways, enough with my chit chat, let's move on to the fic itself!

**You Belong with Me **by Sephy-Stabbity

ooooo

The angels have a bet. If the red rose can manage to ensnare the pretender in its thorny little arms, a crate of strawberry milk will trade hands.

ooooo

"Sachiko and Yumi asked me to make sure you came. Everyone else is going to be there. Eriko is travelling out to meet us. Surely you can take some time out of what I am _sure_ is a busy schedule at university, and come visit some old friends?" she asked, the sarcasm only thinly veiled by her amused tone.

"I don't know. I mean, with university lectures and all, time is pretty tight for me these days. I'm not sure I can afford to go out and just have fun. " the voice over the phone managed to be flippant, annoying and endearing all at the same time.

"Sei, I am sure you can afford some time off, just as sure as I am that you never actually go to any of those lectures that you're always complaining about. "

"My, my, is Mizuno Youko-san actually advising me to skip lectures? After she phones me up only every weekend to check up on my attendance?" Youko could clearly see her face split open in that _I got you and I got you good _grin, as if she was right in front of her.

Sigh. _Fine, let's try another tactic. _"Well, if you really don't feel like coming, I guess I'm not one to be…"

An overtly dramatic sigh issued from the other end of the line, cutting her off.

"Fine, Youko, since you begged so prettily, and obviously can't live another day unless I agree to this outrageous demand of yours," Sei's voice was exaggeratedly magnanimous, "I'll come to the party. See you then, hai?" And she unceremoniously cut off the connection after smacking an obscenely loud, fake kiss into the receiver.

Youko put down the phone, and let out an exasperated sigh. Sometimes dealing with Sei wasn't too dissimilar to dealing with a child.

However, when she had walked away from the phone, located a seat at the airport terminal and settled down, an indecipherable expression crossed Youko's face. She eyed her shoes almost absently, and her fingers twined themselves together in her lap, as they were apt to do when she was in deep thought. _Call me a bad judge of Sei's character, but no matter how nonchalant she tried to sound, her last words had a frantic edge to them. Could it be…but no…but still… it's…unlike her…to be so transparent._

_ooooo_

"Admit it. You're glad I made you come to the party." The rose sounds serene. Sitting in the corner table of the rickety café, she handles her cup as elegantly as if she belongs in a tea ceremony. The only thing belies the image of perfection is the idiotic smile that breaks here serene façade every so often, before she ruthlessly quells it. She is so very happy to be here, and so very afraid of showing it, and being found out.

"Never, ex-Rosa Chinensis extraordinaire ! I have no wish to blow up what I'm sure is an already over-inflated ego!" The pretender is extravagant in her denial. If the rose were to unwrap herself from her own delusions of worthlessness and pay attention, she would see her happiness mirrored in the pretender's grin. A breeze blows through the café, and ruffles the rose's hair. For an insane second, the pretender stops thinking, and her hand twitches up as if to touch the fluttering locks.

Then the moment passes, sanity returns and the gesture dies before it started. The rose notices, but heartlessly steps on the well of hope that threatens to grow up within her. _Sometimes the only way to be sure of someone is to not be sure of them at all. _The rose wishes to keep the pretender beside her, and she is ready to play any game in order to do so.

"I'm the one with the ego, Sei?" her face forms into her trademark smirk, her eyes glinting mischievously, "You should have seen your face when Yumi kissed Sachiko under the mistletoe. I think maybe you really deluded yourself into thinking you were the one Yumi liked all along."

_Oh blind meddling one. When can I tell you that all I was thinking the whole time was that one day I wanted to be that happy with someone? Maybe, with you? _"You know Yumi was just kissing her to make me jealous. She'll realize soon enough I'm the real thing, and we'll be rolling around getting down and dirty before you know it."

"In your dreams."

"Indeed."

"I see your talent for making completely innocuous things sound dirty still persists, Sei."

"And I can see from your careful, designed-to-probe questions that your love for meddling in my life still persists, Youko." _Smile, take the sting out. You love this woman, you wouldn't want to hurt her._

"I forgot, there's one more thing I wanted to give you." The rose puts down her cup, and rummages in her bag before coming up with a sleek black box, decorate only with a single white line running near the left margins of each side. "Happy Birthday."

"Aw, a present. Thanks." Smiling, the pretender accepts the gift, but she cannot resist adding "You already gave me one."

"That was for Christmas. This is for your birthday. I didn't want to give it to you in front of the others."

That simple statement makes the pretender far happier than the rose would think.

ooooo

"Yes, I haven't been stacking up on ramen noodles again. I've actually gone out and found this Italian place with the most delicious panini to ever grace the mouth of man. And yes, I've been attending all my classes and except for the times when I'm forced to pull all-nighters on assignments, I sleep and wake in regular circadian rhythms like every other human being. Now tell me Youko, should I call up my mother just in case, and check if she hasn't died and left you to take her place?"

_Circadian rhythms? _"Well, at least I can tell you haven't been skipping your literature class, judging by your ever-expanding vocabulary, Sei."

"Hn… it's a talent, you know. Takes quite a while to learn all these big words and figure out all the right sentences to use them in. Now, is that all you wanted to talk about? Come on, spit it out now, Youko, you obviously have something to talk about other than my courses. I've never known you to drag these boring phone conversations on for so long." Her jovial tone shows that she is merely joking.

Youko smiled, strangely pleased that Sei knew her well enough to know when she had something on her mind. _She's right. It's already been thirty minutes. We don't talk for more that fifteen usually. _Youko's smile died as she remembered once again what she actually wanted to talk to Sei about.

"There's one more thing...that I wanted to talk to you about." _Nothing to do but bite the bullet._

"Ahh, what is it now, Youko? Are you going one step further, and demanding step-by-step breakdowns of all my classes, to make sure I'm not making all this up? Or do you want me to start keeping food logs and sleep charts? " When Youko didn't reply with laughter, Sei began to sound more serious. "What is it? You're so silent, it's like someone died. Oh god, someone didn't actually die did they? Youko?"

Mizuno Youko was a manipulator. She didn't take any particular pride in the fact, but she acknowledged that some things in the world wouldn't go the way she wanted unless she took an active hand in things. And Youko was a master at it.

But what did not know was how to say things straight out. To come out and state something so plainly that there was no way to misunderstand it. _But I have to do it. Or soon, it will be too late._

"My parents have been pressuring me for a while about this. Because I'm about to graduate, and I've already been recruited for full term by my law firm. They want me to settle down, get married. Or get a real life, as they call it."

"Oh…is that all?" Sei sounded borderline disappointed, as though she really had been expecting to hear that someone had died. "Youko, when you went all silent…don't scare people like that, I honestly thought…well, whatever, enough with that, what are your parents thinking? It's not like you don't have your whole life ahead of you to plan these things out. I mean, there's no need to start thinking so early about this. You still have time…"

Youko's voice, shaking but resolute in its mission, cut across Sei's fumbling reply.

"Sei…lately, I've been thinking…maybe, they're right."

ooooo

"_Sei…lately, I've been thinking…maybe, they're right."_

A sharp intake of breath was heard over the phone as her words registered, and then….dead silence for a long time. So long that Youko began to think there was a problem with the connection. As she opened her mouth to speak again, the silence was shattered with abrupt laughter.

"So" Sei rejoined the joined the conversation, chuckling. "So you finally found some meddlesome guy, and decided to have some meddlesome kids with him, and raise an entire family dedicated to poking their nose into all their white picket neighbours' businesses, huh? Nothing less that what I expected of you, Youko, really, no offense. I'm happy for you. Hope you have a nice life, great husband, big fat straight wedding and all that."

And she laughed through this entire speech, sounding for all the world as if she were tickled to death. As if she wasn't breaking Youko's heart into pieces with every word. And just like that, Youko's confession was over before it even began.

_I'm happy for you._

"I …" For second, Youko was at a loss for words.

_I'm happy for you._

Then Mizuno Youko returned, the Mizuno Youko that was Rosa Chinensis, leader of the Yamayurikai, beloved onee-sama of Sachiko Ogasawara returned, the same Mizuno Youko that was amused by Sei's tendency to run away, and patient with her feigned nonchalance.

_I'm happy for you._

"Thank you for the wishes, but you're getting a little too ahead of the times. I just said I was considering it." she was proud to find her voice steady, rhythmic in measure, with just the right amount of teasing laughter. "But when I do find someone, I hope you'll do us both the courtesy of attending "the big fat straight wedding" as you put it. Well, I have quite a few old friends to call up before the day ends." _Liar. She's the only one you call on Sundays. _"I really have to hurry up and get to the end of this list." _Insert peal of utterly insipid laughter. Segue into streamlined goodbye._ "Good day to you too, Sei. Do tell that poor roommate of yours who's always stuck picking up the phone that I said hi."

_Put down the phone gently in the receiver. Wash the rest of the untouched coffee down the drain. Walk back to the chair. Sit down. _

_Put your head down on the desk and cry._

ooooo

_I'm happy for you._

"Well, here's something usual." Kei smiled across the room at Satou Sei, as she dumped her books on her bed with one hand and her laptop on her desk with the other.

Sei looked away from the windowsill and shot a puzzled look at her roommate and best friend of three years. "What are you talking about?"

"You're silent, you're looking down at the courtyard, and there's not a single pretty girl in sight down there." Kei listed off in a monotone, holding up three fingers one by one for emphasis.

"Really? I used to do this quite a lot in middle school. They had a windowsill reserved just for me at Lillian." Sei tried to end her words with a smile, but failed quite miserably, and Kei noticed.

"What is it?" she asked bluntly, "You're obviously upset."

Sei opened her mouth, about to shoot off a flippant reply, but Kei silenced her with a fierce "Don't even think about it." look. So the former Rosa Gigantea just sighed instead and looked back down at the empty courtyard, an uncharacteristically melancholy look on her face. A sigh escaped her lips.

"I hate rocks!" The words lashed out viciously, and yet there was a desperate note to them.

A confused Kei cocked her head sideways in the universal "I'm listening" expression.

"Rocks always like to meddle in your life. They're always in your way, little stumbling blocks that stop you from doing things, always tripping you up…dammit, rocks aren't supposed to go away! She liked to meddle in things that she shouldn't be meddling in. And now she's finally stopped, and I'm so hap…so happy…" _So. Freaking. Happy._

"Rocks? She? What the hell are you talking about, Sei? Wait. Is this about the same "she" who calls you every weekend? Come to think of it, she hasn't called these past two weeks, has sh…Sei? Sei…if you're so happy, then why are you crying?"

_ooooo_

Youko hasn't slept properly this past month. She wonders what is so different. It's not like she was in a relationship with Sei. But she knows what's different. She has stopped calling her. _I'm sorry, Sei. People are human, we aren't unbreakable, can't always be holding you up. Sometimes, it's too much, even for me._

Her parents have called her twice more to discuss the future. The more she feels unsure of her decision, the more she agrees with their plans, and the more determined she is to forget Sei. She can't help Sei. It's taken her this many years to realize that. But she can help other people, she is sure of it. The more her heart breaks, the more she sets her sight towards the future, and dreams of all the broken people waiting to be fixed.

She plans all this in the daytime. Because at night, when she's alone in her bed, she realizes she has no feelings for all these pipe dreams. Because, in truth, she's the broken one. And the one who can fix her has only wanted her as long as she is unbreakable.

ooooo

_Is this pitiful of me, to sit waiting by the phone at the hour she usually calls, in the vain hope that it'll ring? Especially when she hasn't called the past two weeks in a row?_

"The phone isn't very tasty." The odd comment caused Sei to shift her attention to Kei.

"You're staring at the phone as if you want to eat it." she clarified, and then turned her attention back to the television show she was watching, as though she had said all she wanted to. Sei liked this about her. She never interfered more than she needed to. Like that time last week when Sei had broken down. Kei had patiently comforted her, held her close as Sei cried her eyes out and burbled incoherently through her tears about the unfairness of life. And when Sei had made it perfectly clear afterwards that she had no wish to talk about it, she had left it at that, presumably waiting for Sei to elaborate if she so wished to.

_Unlike a certain meddling busybody I could name, but we're not naming her right now. In fact, we're not even remembering she existed. And we're definitely not sitting in front of the phone waiting for her_ _to call. _

Morosely berating herself for that pointless bit of mental self-denial, she turned her attention resignedly back to the phone.

"You know if I had a hypothetical girlfriend and she was hypothetically mad at me, I would pick up the hypothetical phone and call her up and apologize." Kei was obviously not done with her yet, though the former's attention still seemed fixated on the TV, from the way her eyes were glued to it and her arms kept shovelling popcorn into her mouth robotically.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Sei refuted the implied claim with uncharacteristic vehemence.

"So there is a girl." was all Kei said in reply, thoughtfully munching on her popcorn.

Sei growled. "Besides", she muttered, "she's not mad at me. She just doesn't want to have anything to do with me anymore. All these years, I've been a pet project of hers, and now she's found a bigger calling in life, and she's off chasing the pot of gold at the end of that rainbow now."

"Ooh rainbow imagery, you get gayer and gayer." quipped Kei.

"Like you're one to talk!" Sei snapped back.

"Ok, I'm gay, point taken. The trouble here, though, seems to be that the girl is not, yes?" Kei inquired.

"What trouble?" grumbled Sei, "And there is no girl. We were speaking hypothetically, remember?"

"Of course. All hypothetical." Kei agreed solicitously, without the least bit of sincerity.

And before Sei could form a reply to that, the phone rang and all sense of thinking left her as she noted name displayed on the caller ID. MIZUNO Y.

She picked up the phone, schooling her voice to betray nothing.

"Hello?"

"Sei? We need to talk."

ooooo

Youko POV

"I've been wondering what happened to you. You didn't call to nag the last two weekends. Wedding plans keeping you busy?" Her voice is expressionless. In some way, it is worse than the hostile tone I had imagined.

"There is no wedding." my voice is even, measured. Good. "I …" Oh god, I can't do this. Why did I ever think I could do this? "I…I hate you!" _I love you_. It's myself I hate, at the fact that I'm crying as I say this to her, that I can't hide the anger and frustration in my voice.

"Youko?" she doesn't sound angry. Her voice is just incredulous.

"I hate you!" It comes out as a scream this time, as everything I have been feeling for the past month bursts out of me in a wave, "How can you be so blind all this time? How could you even think I had eyes for anyone else but you? Even you couldn't possibly be that self-absorbed! You're a selfish idiot and a moron and …and …I can't think of a word bad enough to describe the kind of fool you are!" "

And with that last remark, I do what I had really wanted to do after our last conversation. I slam the phone down as I hard as I can, pretending the receiver is her head.

ooooo

Sei POV

I must resemble an oyster, with my mouth gaping open. My ears are ringing slightly from the sound of her slamming the phone down on me, but I'm pretty sure I have the most senseless grin on my face right now.

Kei has given up all pretence of watching the TV show. She's watching me avidly now, instead, still eating popcorn with a rhythmic precision that I admire.

"So" she asks through mouthfuls, "if that was screaming I heard through the phone, and I'm pretty sure it was, you have no reason smiling right now. Unless you really are glad to get rid of her?"

It takes a while for her comment to sink in, but when it does, I laugh. Like I've never laughed in a while. It feels so good. _Youko loves me. _I grin goofily. _Youko loves me. Wait. _My mind returns to panic mood. _Youko hates me right now. What do I do?_

"What do I doooooooooo?" I repeat it out loud, groaning with my head in my arms, as I try to figure a way out of this predicament. "Oh Kami-sama, I promise I'll mail chocolate to heaven on White Day every day if you can think of a way out of this predicament for me!"

"I think a more effective way would be to call her back." Kei put in thoughtfully, "And if it works out well, you can send the chocolate to me every year. I could use some right now, in fact." She added, looking forlornly at the now-empty pack of popcorn.

I stare at her wildly, still in a panic. She laughs and gets off the couch, brushing stray popcorn from her shirt and simultaneously slipping a thick winter coat on.

"I'm going out" she says, "They have a beautiful firework display at the hill tonight, and I would hate to miss it. Maybe you're going to be busy with other things…or maybe not." And on that enigmatic note, she grins, shoves the phone into my hands, and leaves.

My mouth is open, and my mind is still going at a mile a minute. But now, the pieces are slowly fitting together, and somewhere in the jumble, I'm making up this fantasy of me and Youko in the future. We're both old and decrepit and she's screaming at me through toothless gums bleeding with age. But we're still together. And right now, I desperately want that future.

So, hands shaking, I pick up the phone and dial that number that I've memorized by heart, but never had the courage to call until now.

ooooo

Youko POV

I don't even really want to cry anymore. I'm just exhausted. What I really want is to lie down, sleep and stop thinking.

The phone has other plans. Less than five minutes after I put it down, it starts ringing again. I don't need to look at the ID to know who's calling.

I pick up the phone. "Sei."

"You know" quips a voice from the other end of the line, "you said we needed to talk. When people talk, both of them are supposed to be talking. It's not supposed to be one person screaming at the other about how much they hate them."

The words are a façade. Her voice trembles even as she speaks them, and her breathing is shallow. I take some sadistic pleasure in the fact that she has about as little control left over her emotions as me. But I'm tired of this constant wordplay with her.

"Sei…"

"Youko." She replies sombrely, "Kei said there's going to be fireworks tonight at a hill near our residence. If I drive like a maniac from here to your apartment and back, then I'm pretty sure we can both reach the hill in time for the show. So, are you free tonight?"

I'm confused. "I just want to sleep." is all I can come up with in reply to her question.

She laughs gently. "It's not even sunset yet, silly. I'll come pick you up at seven thirty." And with a laugh, a real laugh that I haven't heard in a while, she puts down the phone.

I sigh and lie my head down on the table once again, massaging my temples. Life is so complicated with her around.

ooooo

Sei comes to pick Youko up in the beaten up yellow car as usual, and nearly sends her into cardiac arrest while speeding on the roads. They do not talk much. Sei is smiling to herself whenever Youko isn't looking. Youko just wants to look out the window and be left alone. Somehow, watching the scenery speed by calms her down. By the time they reach the hill, it has reached dusk, and a dorm leader is announcing that the fireworks show is about to begin.

Youko turns to Sei, the obvious question forming in her mouth. Sei reads her glance and a panicked look crosses across her own face and she opens her mouth hurriedly to forestall Youko.

"I love you," she blurts out, "I might be an idiot and self-absorbed and everything else you accused me of being over the phone, but I love you. I don't know why I didn't say it before, but I am now. I ….I just wanted you to hear it…and…sorry…I never meant to make you cry. I would never make you cry!" She adds vehemently, and then looks surprised, as if shocked at the depth of emotion in her words.

"I…." Youko stammers, stunned into silence. She stops, swallows and then opens her mouth to start over. "I …Sei, I…"

A sly grin steals over Sei's face. "Just a simple 'I love you' would be a fine reply, Mizuno Youko-san." She makes an exaggerated bow towards Youko to add to the comic effect.

"Moron." Youko smiles faintly, finally finding her voice. She draws closer to Sei, and shakingly raises a hand towards her hair, unable to believe this can actually be happening. _Me and Sei, that faraway dream…actually a reality? _Her doubts are swept away when Sei takes hold of the outstretched wrist with both hands and draws her closer. Emboldened, Youko lifts her head up and softly, chastely presses her lips to Sei's own. The effect is ruined when Sei deepens the kiss, moving her hands up and tangling them in Youko's hair. The kiss is fast and urgent, as if to make up for all the year of pent-up love and frustration. They are pressed so closely to each other that their skins seem fused together.

They are both breathless when Sei finally pulls away from Youko. There are some amused cheers from nearby spectators, which Sei acknowledges with a wave and a smirk. Speechlessly, she takes Youko's hand and heads towards the right edge of the hill. She directs Youko to lie down on the bedsheet spread over the ground and lies down next to her. From the edge of her vision, Youko can make out Sei's roommate Kei waving at them and grinning. Youko tries to smile back, but her face splits into an identical grin of its own accord. Sei being Sei, she sticks her tongue out at Kei and then winks cheekily at Youko, before squeezing her closer and planting a kiss on her cheek for Kei's benefit. Kei's grin widens and she looks away laughing, going back to chatting with her circle of friends. Youko blushes and lightly pushes Sei backwards. They look like just another one of hundreds of couples spread out over the hill. Youko has only seconds to feel ecstatic and out of breath about this, before fireworks light up the twilight sky. They both look up, entranced with the show.

ooooo

When Mizuno Youko first met Satou Sei, they were both a little bit broken, if in different ways. One suffered because she belonged everywhere, and the other strayed too often to belong anywhere. Somewhere along the paths of life, their roads met, and they finally found a place where only the two of them belonged.

"I haven't been this happy for a long time." Hands link together shyly.

"Me neither." _Never been this happy, actually. _They continue to watch the skies.

"…"

"…"

The silence is comfortable and soothing. Then…

"I guess we'll be having a big fat gay wedding now."

"….I can't believe you're ruining this moment." But secretly, she's glad that Sei is joking about the future, instead of obsessing over the past.

ooooo

Up where the angels live, a crate of strawberry milk is passed from one hand to another, and a resigned sigh is exhaled.

ooooo

A/N - Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that, and I hope no one found the POV shifts too confusing. I decided to keep the shifts when making it one chapter because I felt each of the scenes could only be written effectively from their chosen POV. Anwyas, I hope you guys liked this fic. R and R if you did, please! :D :D :D

P.S: I chose the title "You Belong with Me" for this story because I got obsessed with Youko and Sei just about the time I got obsessed with that song by Taylor Swift. And also, I feel it totally explains how Youko feels about Sei. I'm a big Youko-fan as you can see. Sei interests me too, but not as much as Youko (and Eriko, with her weird compulsions) do. Lol.


End file.
